The Movies
There were a wide range of movies on show, most of which were excellent.
Lighthouse
(Dead of Night US Title)
Simon Hunter
1999
95min
UK
A prison ship carrying a very dangerous serial killer sinks off the shore of a small island which is home to a lighthouse. Some survivors make it to shore alive, but soon discover they are not alone!! The killer is on the loose and wont rest until everyone on the island is dead.
What a start to the festival!! This was probably my favorite film of the weekend, fantastically shot and stylishly directed, this is a slasher flick bearing little resemblance to" Screams" of this world. Fresh, inventive and fun with some shocking moments. I can't recommend it enough. A must see!!
In UK Cinemas Summer 2000
USA DVD Available
The Last Broadcast
Stefan Avalos & Lance Weiler
1998
86min
USA
A group of people filming a TV show and all but one of them go missing in the woods. the footage is later found and the rest of the film contains the viewing of the footage with the end result of finding out the truth about the disappearances.
Made a year before the Blair Witch arrived this bears little resemblance to the undoubted quality of that title. The makers have been quoted as saying that the makers of Blair Witch saw their picture while formulating ideas for their own. whether this is true or not becomes unimportant as Blair Witch takes the basic idea which the two share and develops it in a far more exiting way. Last Broadcast holds little suspense and by the end I didn't really care who the killer was. A film I hadn't heard of before Dead By Dawn, I wonder why?
La Fiancee De Dracula
Jean Rollin
2000
90min
France
World Premier
A welcome return to form for Rollin, the last film of his I saw was " The Two Orphan Vampires" which I didn't enjoy. More vampire madness from Rollin who sadly couldn't make the festival due to illness. The storyline is as far out as ever with mad nuns, a dwarf dressed as a jester, A baby eating Ogress, hilarious acting and bare female flesh all over the place. Typical Rollin then. This one certainly ended up being entertaining though, with a classic ending where a vampires face turns into something resembling a plate of mince, a laugh a minute.
Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Dario Argento
1970
98 min
Italy / W Germany
Argento's first feature, and a brilliant start it is. A man witnesses a violent assault and sees a black clothed figure fleeing the scene, being the only witness whose information could lead to the capture of the attacker, his life is put in danger as the murderer sets out to silence him before he can place the last piece of the puzzle and identify the killer. Full of suspense and trademark touches that would be repeated in later films, this Giallo certainly packs a punch and will leave you wondering until the very end.
Blood and Black Lace
Mario Bava
1964
85min
Italy/ France/ W Germany
Classic stuff shown as a double bill with "Bird with the Crystal Plumage" and my favorite of the two. The violence in this film had a raw, realistic edge to it which makes the murders all the more grizzly. When the Models working at a fashion house start being gruesomely murdered every male within reach becomes a suspect, they all seem to have a motive but who is the killer, and why? Brilliant Giallo which set the trend for others to follow.
Pitch Black
David N.Twohy
2000
108min
Australia/ USA
UK Premier
Fantastic sci-fi Horror tale where a spacecraft crash lands on an unknown planet where night never falls due to having three suns orbiting. All seems well until it is discovered that there are carnivorous creatures living in underground caves. This wouldn't be a problem as the creatures hate the light, but the travelers find out a once every 22 years eclipse is about to happen. How will they survive?? This is a great film which grabs hold of you and wont let go, some great creature effects and some great characters all add up to a compelling story with a dramatic climax. This was the UK Premier and is highly recommended when it is released Summer 2000.
Angel of the Night
Shaky Gonzalez
1998
90min
Denmark
Shaky Gonzales said his inspiration for this, his first feature was "From Dusk till Dawn" and this film mixes equal doses of action, humor and horror to create a satisfying mix . The storyline of vampire hunting comes secondary to the explosive set piece action scenes which Shaky handles brilliantly. Without doubt the biggest crowd pleaser of the Festival with the audience in uproar at the end. Shaky himself came across as a very genuine, and cool guy who is a real fan of the Genre. I saw him attending the rest of the festival and he was sitting in front of me for the screening of "Scream 3" It's out on DVD in the states now and well worth a look, one of the highlights of the film being the exploding rat scene which had everyone rolling with laughter.
An American Werewolf in London
John Landis
1981
97min
USA / UK
This film has to be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated, I realize that now. There are so many parts of the film just crying out for closer inspection. The best werewolf film ever, with "The Howling" coming close second, not that there are that many to choose from! Adele Hartley the Festival Directors fave film, demands another look if only to marvel at the awesome change sequence which left me dumb struck as a youngster. With a sharp sense of black humor and some cool gore fx this truly is a classic
Return of the Living Dead
Dan O'Bannon
1985
91min
UK / USA
Brilliant to see this classic on the big screen, classic stuff and one of my favorite films ever.
For a full review
The Church
Michele Soavi
1988
102min
Italy
I have this on video so wasn't too upset at missing it. I haven't watched it for ages . If I get round to seeing it again I'll review it in the Mainstream section of the site.
Phantom of the Opera
Dario Argento
1988
Italy / Hungary
Unfortunately I missed this one but from what I've heard it's certainly nowhere near Argento's best work, but I await a viewing to make my own decision.
Bats
Louis Morneau
1999
90min
USA
Please leave your brain at the entrance on your way in to watch this picture, you'll enjoy it much more. Mutant bats escape from a laboratory and infect all the other bats, hence they become flesh eating mad bats, obviously!! The introduction of CGI has opened the floodgates for all your favorite B movies to be re-made only this time with fairly believable effects. This film has to be watched purely as 90minuets of entertainment and nothing else. The acting, especially by Lou Diamond Phillips, is laughable and the film follows an almost formula approach to Horror- Sci fi movie making. A good laugh and ( luckily on a Sunday morning) undemanding movie.
Killer of Little Fishes
Alexandre Cavras
1997
One of my favorite parts of the weekend, this short film knocked my socks off!! Beautifully shot story of a man who has a fixation with his next door neighbor. He watches her and her daughter coming and going every day and lives a hollow existence. But he has concocted a potion which makes him invisible and so decides to take his obsession a stage further with terrible consequences! This film is pure class and worth tracking down. The icing on the cake of the fest!
Haxan:
Witchcraft through the ages
Benjamin Christensen
1921
1966 (Narration added)
76min
Sweden
A surprise hit for me this one. I doubted the importance a film this old could have in comparison to modern offerings but I admit how wrong I was. This film was great for a few reasons. The imagery on show was as potent today as ever and the commentary was a reminder of how time have changed for the better. Witches, torture and Satanism are all covered in detail. A worthy addition to the festival!
Crab Boy
Ant Timpson
1996
11min
Surrealist short about a father punishing his son because of his wife's untimely death. Nobody liked this much and I can't blame them really. A totally far out film which goes from one dream like sequence to another leaving everyone thinking, what the hell was that all about??
The Wicker Man
Robin Hardy
1973
102min
UK
One of the best known UK Horror films and highly rated by most. But also a film I had never seen before the fest! This is the longest version available anywhere and although the quality wasn't top notch the film's true colors still came through. Great performances from Edward woodward and Christofer Lee and a great story cumulate in a shocking ending where the Wicker Man is revealed. A DVD release is touted for 2001.
Scream 3
Wes Craven
2000
116 min
USA
UK Premier
The third and thankfully last in the series. I thought the second film pushed this series to the limit and it shows in the third, which painfully runs out of ideas after a decent start and never recovers. A let down, but no more than I expected. For fans only!